Priority Waitlist CMU, UCSD, or UT Austin?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Carnegie Mellon University
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<p>My career goal is to either research the similarities between computers and the brain or to engineer prosthetics that interact with the nervous system. I feel like the best paths to reach my goals are to earn my Bachelor's degree in bioengineering, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, or secondarily computer science. I plan to continue on to graduate school to study at the MIT Media Lab in neuroengineering or biomechatronics or to study neuroscience at UC San Diego. I have been accepted into UC San Diego for bioengineering (biotechnology), UT Austin for electrical engineering, and have the option to be put on the priority waitlist at Carnegie Mellon for computer science or mechanical engineering.</p>

<p>Carnegie Mellon:
-Distinguished computer science program and great mechanical engineering.
-Pittsburgh is apparently not the best place to live.
-Transferring to electrical/computer engineering from within the school is "virtually impossible" according to CMU.
-I know a few people who will go to CMU.</p>

<p>UCSD:
-Best Location
-3rd ranked bioengineering program.
-Will be close to my brother.
-Top rated graduate neuroscience program.
-Considering attempting a double major in BME and Comp Sci.</p>

<p>UT:
-Best Student Life
-Highly rated in electrical engineering, computer engineering, computer science, and mechanical engineering.
-Super cheap (I'm from Texas).
-I have good friends at UT.
-Will attempt to double major in two out of EE, ME, or Comp Sci.</p>

<p>Considerations:
-I have tons of college credit (will have 75 hours by end of year). UT Austin takes 100%, UC San Diego takes almost all of my credits, and I am not certain that CMU will take my credits.
-I love programming and electronics but the bioengineering courses at UCSD seem to emphasize biology/chemistry/medicine much more than programming or electronics.
-The scientists who research at the MIT Media Lab or who engineer prosthetics at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago (two institutions that hit what I want to do on the head) major primarily in bioengineering or mechanical engineering and a few major in electrical engineering and physics.
-I am very interested in robotics or neuroscience research and I am not sure about the research opportunities at each school for undergraduates.
-My current plan is to be put on the Priority Waitlist for CS at CMU. While I'm waiting to hear back, I'll decide where I would like to go out of UT or UCSD.</p>

<p>Your thoughts?</p>

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<p>CMU's robotic institute and classes would probably be of interest to you. It clearly combines the aspects of mechanical engineering and CS. They often deal with inverse kinematics problems such as manipulating a robot arm in order to perform a task.</p>

<p>I don't think it's impossible to transfer into ECE, especially if you're in the CS program. In my experience, transfering involves taking the classes in the major you want to transfer in and doing well in them. Example: my roommate was a physics major who basically copied me and took the same CS required courses, doing well in all of them, the associate dean transfered him on the spot. I'm not exactly sure if it works the same way to transfer into ECE.</p>

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<p>Ironically, I have heard that it is easier to transfer into CS from ECE from CMU than the other way around. Surprising because CS is supposed to be more selective.</p>

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<p>My S is a CS major at CMU and he was accepted to the CS program at UT.</p>

<p>A couple of points on CMU. You might want to check out transfering hours to CMU. My S had a lot of hours to transfer, too, and while he was able to transfer most of them, it wasn't until he got to the school that we realized that transfer hours were not accepted for his class status. What that means is that regardless of how many transfer hours you have, you start the CS program as a freshman and your classification depends on how many credits you earn at CMU. That lasts until you are within 2 semesters of graduating when you can declare as a senior.</p>

<p>Frankly, the SCS doesn't accept transfers from other colleges (non-CMU colleges, of course, it does do internal transfers) nor does it seem that used to entering "freshman" with lots of credit. The faculty and advisors aren't used to dealing with the situation and don't have much sympathy or useful advise.</p>

<p>Most of the time that doesn't have much impact, but it made it difficult for my S to register for the classes he needed the fall of his second year. They register by class standing and by the time it was his turn, several important classes in his minor were full. He managed to work around it in the end, but it was a pain. It hasn't been a problem since and he just filed the paperwork to be a senior.</p>

<p>The other point is that some of your information seems old: except for it being cold for most Texans, Pittsburgh is really a pretty nice place to live. The CMU campus is the the opposite of UT, small, neat and intimate and there are interesting neighborhoods to explore near campus. It's clearly not the raucous party atmosphere of Austin, but nice in its own way. Besides, if you take CS at CMU, you won't have much time to party. :D</p>

<p>One other point on UT. My S was interested in finishing college early since he had attended high school on a college campus, and the experience was sort of losing its charm. He found that, while UT accepted more of his transfer hours than CMU, the class rotation actually made it harder for a CS major to graduate early at UT than CMU. Have a look. We went though several scenarios and while it was theoretically possible, he wasn't going to be able to take some of the CS courses that were important to him.</p>

<p>That may not be a factor for you, but it is something to consider. Transfering (or advance placing) hours isn't all there is to it sometimes.</p>